Lubricant composition

ABSTRACT

A lubricant composition is disclosed. The lubricant composition provides lubrication between metal parts, is able to clean metal parts and prevent build-up of contaminants within the lubricant composition. The lubricant composition includes a plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons, a non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon, a naphthenic petroleum base oil, an octadecenoic acid, and an ethoxylated alcohol. The plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons may include one-third branched heptanes, one-third cyclic heptanes, and one-third linear n-heptane. The non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may be any aliphatic hydrocarbon with fewer than six carbon atoms that are not linked in a ring formation. The octadecenoic acid in the lubricant composition is generally 9-octadecenoic acid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/683,995, filed Jun. 12, 2018, entitled “BACKSTRETCH SHINE LUBRICANT” and is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a lubricant composition, and more particularly to an oil-based lubricant composition.

BACKGROUND

Lubricants generally reduce friction between surfaces, and particularly reduce wear and friction between metal surfaces. Commercial lubricants typically fall into one of four categories: dry lubricants, oils, greases, and penetrating lubricants. While dry lubricants provide lubrication, they are susceptible to being washed away from metal surfaces. Oil lubricants have a low viscosity and provide lubrication within small spaces, but can actually increase friction when exposed to contaminants such as dirt. Greases lubricate and protect against corrosion of metal surfaces, but cannot be used with fine metal parts or fast-moving parts because the grease increases, rather than decreases, resistance in these applications. While penetrating lubricants can lubricate and break up corroded metal, such as rust, they provide no protection against wear or against contaminants such as dirt or grease.

There is thus a need for a lubricant composition that overcomes the disadvantages of prior lubricant compositions.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a lubricating composition is disclosed. The lubricating composition includes a non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon, a plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons, a naphthenic petroleum base oil, an octadecenoic acid, and an ethoxylated alcohol.

Other embodiments and aspects are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure and certain features, advantages, and details thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to the non-limiting examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known materials, fabrication tools, processing techniques, etc., are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the disclosure in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating aspects described herein, are given by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and/or arrangements, within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Lubricating compositions are generally used to reduce friction between surfaces, and especially are used to reduce friction and reduce wear between metal surfaces as such metal surfaces move against one another, such as between metal gears for example. Most commercial lubricants generally fall into one of four categories: dry lubricants, oils, greases, and penetrating lubricants. While each type of lubricant has advantageous applications, each also has distinct disadvantages to their usage. For example, dry lubricants are popular because they can be applied in aerosol or spray form, but have the disadvantage of being easily washed away from the metal surfaces they are meant to lubricate, and thus cannot provide long-lasting lubrication. Oil lubricants have a low viscosity and provide lubrication within small spaces, but are susceptible to collecting and trapping contaminants such as dust and dirt and metal grit, which will actually increase friction between metal surfaces. Greases lubricate and protect against corrosion of metal surfaces, and in many applications can provide long-lasting lubrication, but cannot be used with fine metal parts or fast-moving parts because the grease increases, rather than decreases, resistance in such types of applications. Penetrating lubricants are popular for some applications because they lubricate and break up corroded metal, such as rust, but they provide no protection against wear or against contaminants such as dirt or grease. No lubricant composition to date has been able to provide each of the important advantages of these different types of lubricants while compensating for or even eliminating various disadvantages of these same lubricants.

The present invention disclosed herein thus provides a lubricant composition that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. In one or more embodiments, the disclosed lubricant composition may provide lubrication between metal parts and may also provide additional advantages. For example, in one or more embodiments the disclosed lubricant composition may remove dirt from metal parts. In one or more embodiments the disclosed lubricant composition may provide a protective coating to metal parts that is not easily removed or washed away. In one or more embodiments the disclosed lubricant composition may prevent the build-up of lubricant residue and prevent accumulation of contaminants within the lubricant composition. The disclosed lubricant composition, in one or more embodiments, may be delivered in aerosol or spray form, and may be used in a wide range of applications in which other lubricants may not be useful or may be counter-productive to lubricating metal parts.

In embodiments, the lubricant composition includes a non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon, a plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons, a naphthenic petroleum base oil, an octadecenoic acid, and an ethoxylated alcohol.

In one or more embodiments, the lubricant composition includes a non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon having six or fewer carbon atoms. In one or more preferred embodiments, the carbon atoms of the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon are not linked together so as to form a ring. The non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may thus be, in one or more embodiments, any linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon having six or fewer carbon atoms in a branched or linear configuration. By way of example, the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon, in one or more embodiments, may include any one or more of ethane, ethene, butane, butene, propane, propene, methylpropane, pentane, and hexane. The non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may include just one particular non-heptane aliphatic Within the lubricant composition, or the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may include a plurality of different non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as ethene and ethane together.

In general, the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may facilitate grouping and holding together of many different types of branched, linear, and cyclic compound structures of the other components of the lubricant composition, such as the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons. The non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may thus provide stability to the lubricant composition, allowing for the other components of the lubricant composition to remain mixed together and preventing separation of the components. The non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may thus preferably comprise a large percentage of the lubricant composition in order to keep the lubricant composition well mixed and prevent separation. In one or more embodiments, the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon may be anywhere between about 60% to about 70% of the lubricant composition by weight.

In one or more embodiments, the lubricant composition includes a plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons. Heptanes are non-polar solvents and may be used to dissolve oils. The heptanes of the lubricant composition may also prevent accumulation of contaminants, such as dust and dirt, within the lubricant composition. In one or more embodiments, the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons may include a combination of branched heptanes, cyclical heptanes, and linear n-heptane, generally C₇H₁₆. The branched heptanes, generally C₇H₁₆, may, by way of example, include one or more of 2-methylhexane, 3-methylhexane, 2,2-dimethylpentane, 2,3-dimethylpentane, 2,4-dimethylpentane, 3,3-dimethylpentane, 3-ethylpentane, and 2,2,3-trimethylpentane. The cyclical heptanes may, by way of example, include one or more of cycloheptane, generally C₇H₁₄. In preferred embodiments the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons may include one third branched heptanes by weight and one third cyclical heptanes by weight and one third linear n-heptanes by weight. In one or more embodiments the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons may be anywhere between about 20% to about 30% of the lubricant composition by weight.

In one or more embodiments, the lubricant composition includes a naphthenic petroleum base oil. Naphthenic petroleum base oil generally is a monocyclic saturated hydrocarbon in which hydrogen and carbon atoms are arranged in a single ring structure and all carbon-carbon bonds are single bonds. Naphthenic petroleum base oil generally acts as a lubricant, and may also act as a wetting agent, as a surfactant, or as a solubilizing medium. As an oil lubricant, naphthenic petroleum base oil provides long-lasting lubrication between metal parts. The overall amount of naphthenic petroleum base oil in the lubricant composition may be about 10% or less by weight of the lubricant composition. The relatively low amount of naphthenic petroleum base oil allows the other components of the lubricant composition to prevent contaminant build-up in the lubricant composition, which is a problem in lubricants with higher concentrations of oils. In embodiments, the naphthenic petroleum base oil may be between about 5% to about 10% of the lubricant composition by weight.

In one or more embodiments, the lubricant composition includes an octadecenoic acid. In preferred embodiments the octadecenoic acid may be 9-octadecenoic acid (generally C₁₈H₃₄O₂). Octadecenoic acids, including 9-octadecenoic acid, are fatty acids found abundantly in nature. Octadecenoic acids may act as solvents in lubricant compositions. Octadecenoic acid may act as an emulsifier in the lubricant composition and may allow for use of the lubricant composition in aerosol or spray form. In one or more embodiments the octadecenoic acid may be about 2% or less of the lubricant composition by weight.

In one or more embodiments, the lubricant composition may include an ethoxylated alcohol. Ethoxylated alcohols are generally non-ionic surfactants, and thus in embodiments the ethoxylated alcohol may act as a surface cleaner when applied to metal surfaces and act to remove surface dirt or contaminants such as rust from metal surfaces, which facilitates keeping the metal surfaces clean and able to move. In one or more embodiments the ethoxylated alcohol may be about 2% or less of the lubricant composition by weight.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise, “have,” “include,” and “contain” (and any forms thereof such as “comprising,” “has,” “includes,” etc.) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or device or composition or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those elements but is not limited to possessing only those elements.

As used herein, the terms “may” and “may be” indicate a possibility of an occurrence within a set of circumstances; a possession of a specific property, characteristic or function; and/or qualify another verb by expressing one or more of an ability, capability, or possibility associated with the qualified verb.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about,” is not limited to the precise value specified. In some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring a value. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A lubricating composition comprising: a non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon; a plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons; a naphthenic petroleum base oil; an octadecenoic acid; and, an ethoxylated alcohol.
 2. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon comprises six or fewer carbon atoms.
 3. The lubricating composition of claim 2 wherein the carbon atoms are not linked together to form a ring.
 4. The lubricating composition of claim 3 wherein the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon comprises one or more of ethane, ethene, butane, butene, propane, propene, methylpropane, pentane, hexane.
 5. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the non-heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon composes between about 60% and about 70% of the lubricating composition by weight.
 6. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons comprises one or more of a branched heptane, a cyclic heptane, and a linear n-heptane.
 7. The lubricating composition of claim 6 wherein the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbon comprises approximately one-third of one or more branched heptanes by weight, approximately one-third of one or more cyclic heptanes by weight, and one-third of linear n-heptane by weight.
 8. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the plurality of heptane aliphatic hydrocarbons composes between about 20% and about 30% of the lubricating composition by weight.
 9. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the octadecenoic acid is 9-octadecenoic acid.
 10. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the octadecenoic acid composes about 2% or less of the lubricating composition by weight.
 11. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the naphthenic petroleum base oil composes between about 5% and about 10% of the lubricating composition by weight.
 12. The lubricating composition of claim 1 wherein the ethoxylated alcohol composes about 2% or less of the lubricating composition by weight. 